The Bible is not a fairy tale, but every great story happened “once upon a time.” The Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible highlights powerful and inspiring stories from the Bible, beautifully illustrated with fantastical artwork by Omar Aranda. Stories include: Ruth, Abigail, Esther, The Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Prodigal Son, Mary Magdalene, and many more. Each captivating story is told in a way that will get children excited about reading the tales of real heroes of the Bible.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Omar Aranda studied Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was born. Many top publishers and companies worldwide have commissioned him for projects including story artwork, comics, and character design. He started his career as an artistic painter but now devotes all of his time to illustrations for children's products.

Top customer reviews

When I saw the Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible, I was intrigued. Where was Zondervan going with this? My kids love fairy tales, but if there's one thing my wife and I are trying to teach our children, it's that the Bible is NOT a fairy tale.

The 33 stories themselves are well-written for keeping my kids' attention, they cover about three pages each, including illustrations. They start with a title, like "The Battle of Jericho," followed by a related (or not-so-related) Bible verse touching on one of the themes from that story. A little more than half of the stories come from the Old Testament, and of those from the New Testament, all but two come from the Gospels. I would have liked to have more than just one story from the book of Acts, since Paul's travels alone were quite exciting material for a kids' book. The illustrations were fantastic and remind me of the movie The Prince of Egypt. They give a sense of realism that helps to emphasize the fact that these stories actually took place in the real world, not the world of make-believe.

At the base of the book cover it says, "The Bible is not a fairy tale. Every great story happened once upon a time." That assurance aside, my five-year-old seemed a little confused and asked me a couple of times, "Is the Bible real?" and "Did that really happen?" I'm not afraid of these questions and actually welcome them, but I'm not comfortable with a Christian publisher prompting these questions. Despite their good intentions, I'm convinced Zondervan made a mistake associating the Bible with fairy tales.

I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of providing this review.

“Inside these pages are some of the greatest stories ever told … and believe it or not they’re real!” the introduction states in the Once Upon A Time Storybook Bible.

~ What ~This numbered one-hundred-forty-four-page oversized hardbound targets children four to eight-years-old looking for a book of stories from the Bible. Using the New International Version of the Holy Bible, it has a presentation page, introduction, table of contents, and thirty-three stories with full-colored, detailed illustrations. With some frightening and scary situations, some young children should be cautioned. It would best be read out loud to beginner readers due to some of the complicated three syllable words.

With eighteen stories from the Old Testament and fifteen from the New Testament, each story is four pages long with a Bible verse written under its title. The artworks range from a quarter to full page and are expressive and detailed. Besides the typical iconic stories, also added are ones involving the battle of Jerico, Hannah’s prayer, Samuel listening to God, Esther’s bravery, Zacchaeus’s dinner invitation, Lazarus rising from the dead, and Jesus’s mission for us.

~ Why ~Every child should know stories of the Bible, and I liked how this one covered the gambit of them. I appreciate that in two places on the cover it states “The Bible is not a fairy tale. Every great story happened once upon a time.” With each story being short and to the point, so many good ones are added. Although a complicated topic to explain to young ones, Jesus dying on the cross and rising the third day is included.

~ Why Not ~Those who do not believe in God may not be interested a book of Bible stories. Others may be concerned that the shortened stories do not exactly retell those in the Word of God as liberties are taken (example: there is no mention Jesus dying for our sins). Young children may be frightened of the depictions of fierce lions, a fiery furnace, and a walking mummy.

~ Who ~No information is provided on the writer of the retold stories. The illustrator was born in Argentina and has often been commissioned for his story artwork, comics, and character designs.

~ Wish ~Having all pronouns of God capitalized for reverence would be thoughtful.

~ Want ~If you are looking for a children’s book that includes many loosely rewritten and shortened stories of the Holy Bible with beautiful, engaging illustrations, this is a good choice.

Thanks to Z Blog Squad for this complimentary book that I am freely evaluating.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Once Upon a Time Holy Bible and Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible from Zonderkidz, through FlyBy Promotions in exchange for a honest review.

Have you ever noticed, that all the great stories start with Once Upon a Time? I was beyond excited when I saw the Once Upon a Time Holy Bible and Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible available from Zonderkidz. Children love not only the happy endings, but also the heroes and of course the princesses in fairy tales. I thought what a great idea to introduce the concept of the Bible to young children, in this beautifully illustrated Bible and Bible Storybook. The best part of this, is teaching your children that the tales in these books are real and true. There was a Queen who was named Esther, and a young boy named David who fought a Giant. It is also material brought to you by Zonderkidz, which is a trusted name to me when it comes to purchasing Biblically accurate products.

Once Upon a Time Holy Bible introduces your children to some great characters in the Bible, and also the Word of God. It is brought to you in the New International Reader's Version (NIrV) translation, and is actually the full Bible and highlights six wonderful stories of the Bible on 24 gorgeously illustrated pages. I was extremely happy about this. We didn't have a translation of this type of Bible in our house yet, and I was impressed it was the full translation. My oldest child, who is eight claimed this Bible immediately and now brings it to church with him every Sunday.

Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible introduces your children to 33 stories in the Bible, and they are all brought to them with not only beautiful color illustrations, but also with scripture and with a takeaway at the end of each story. The takeaway offers a short summary and reflection of the story, and also references the scripture to read. The stories come from both the Old and New Testament.

Both of my sons really enjoy reading this book before bed. The stories are colorful and exciting, and perfectly long enough for a short read before bed. The stories offer hope, love and heroism that show what can happen when you put your faith and trust in the Lord. It is a great lesson to teach your children, and also to reaffirm in ourselves.

My family and I would all highly recommend this Bible and Bible Storybook. My husband and I were impressed with the Biblical accuracy of these products, and my sons loved the stories and all the pictures. We think it would make a phenomenal addition to any family or church library. I think it would be a fantastic product for a children's Sunday School teacher, a wonderful gift on Easter, or a gift just because. Spending quality time reading the Bible with your children and having fun with them, while enjoying these true stories, I think it is the best gift of all.